If you were thinking this was an homage to “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”, I’m sorry to disappoint. As a side note, I’m sure Dr. Frank-N-Furter would approve of my color choices for this project.

As you know I decided to focus my meditation during the Feast for the Soul on the concept of “protection”. I’m looking at how the concept and protection is experienced in all walks of my life and those around me. I’m meditating on how I can better protect those in harm’s way. Harm can take many forms, and while I’ve been meditating, the thought that keeps floating to the surface is suicide. This isn’t about my suicidal ideation, but those who are experiencing immense pain with no safety net or protectors in sight.

The piece I’m creating will be based on the design of a shield. To accomplish this goal, I’ve chosen to weave the fabric that I have cut into strips last week. The warp for those who aren’t weavers are the long, or longitudinal, strips that are affixed the frame. It’s the foundation for the weaving, and as you know, we all need a solid foundation.

I met Sarah Haskell (www.sarahhaskell.com) in graduate school. We both were enrolled in the arts and healing program. I learned that Sarah is a weaver and during the course I got to see some of her work. I’m mesmerized by weaving and have considered taking it up for many years. I may learn to weave on a table loom at some point, but the large looms I’ll leave to Sarah.

Why do I bring up weaving and Sarah’s work? I’ve followed Sarah for ten years and what I have learned the most from Sarah’s social media posts is the amount of patience it takes to weave. Setting up the loom takes and enormous amount of time and physical exertion. The biggest lesson, and that’s what I want to focus on is the amount of patience it takes to be a weaver.

Over the course of my meditation, I’ve been feeling, in my body, what patience feels like. For me, it has become a visceral experience. It involves some degree of body tension, but it’s counterbalanced with the release when the warp is set. It shows what time and attention can accomplish.

The tension in my body mirrors the tension a weaver needs when setting the loom. The warp needs to be tight enough on the loom to allow the weaver to maneuver the weft. I’m affixing my warp strips to a painting canvas. It’s sturdy so I can pin the strips to the top and bottom of the frame creating sufficient tension for the design.

What are the takeaways from today’s meditation? Tension isn’t always a bad thing. We all need a strong foundation on which to build our ideas and actions in life. Taking time to focus on one thought, idea, experience allows you to go deeper and experience it on multiple levels. What are you weaving in your life?